Lid stays, both gas and spring based, are known in the industry. Gas shocks are relatively expensive and, in many instances, the capability of a gas shock is not needed. Spring shocks are typically less expensive, but could be improved. Lid stays are particularly beneficial for use with storage containers. A conventional storage container having a lid pivotally attached to a storage base, wherein the lid is opened to provide access to the storage area and closed for concealment of the storage area. A lid stay works well on such storage containers, wherein the lid stay assists the individual in opening of the lid. Essentially, the lid stay provides a counterbalance to the weight of the lid, wherein little or no assistance may be needed to open the lid or keep the lid in an open position. The lid stay provides resistance during the closing of the lid to prevent the lid from slamming shut uncontrollably.
Lid stays come in many configurations, typically with numerous components which can make the device costly to manufacture. Further, multiple components may add to the assembly time, complexity of the device, and number of elements that could possibly fail.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,115 discloses a storage container employing a lid stay. The lid stay utilizes a spring positioned within a housing to engage a piston, the piston having a pair of O-rings to provide frictional forces and pneumatic resistance to the piston. The use of the O-rings requires a close tolerance housing, grooves to be fabricated, and O-rings to be installed, all of which add to the manufacturing costs.
What is presented is an improved spring shock lid stay that is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to assembly, and includes provisions that allow for ease of operation.